One of the many quests in Shadow Cursed Lands is the Baldur’s Gate 3 Punished the Wicked quest. During this quest, you will meet a Shady Drow called He Who Was, who will be punishing a woman who is already dead.
You have to play through the quest to learn about the woman’s crime and make a choice at the end, which decides the fate of the woman and He Who Was. You will also get a small reward at the end of this quest, but first, let us get into how to commence it.
How to start Punish the Wicked quest in BG3
To start the Punish the Wicked quest during Act 2 of Baldur’s Gate 3, wander off to the Ruined Battlefield east of Shadow Cursed Lands. You can also reach it by moving east from the Last Light Inn in BG3. Travel till you see He Who Was performing a necro ritual on a dead body.
Talk to him, as there are many dialogue options here. No matter your choices, you will get to know that dead woman, Madeline. The woman once worked in a brewery where she backstabbed her patrons. This was her heinous crime, and she got everyone killed for it.
Even though Madeline will be dead already, He Who Was believes she deserves a punishment worse than that to avenge all those she got killed. Now, the dialogue will come down to either helping or fighting him.
If you choose to help him, you will get the Punish the Wicked quest’s next objective: finding a dwarf’s ledger in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Find the Ledger in BG3
Now, you are tasked with finding Madeline’s ledger, which will provide information about her crime. To find this ledger, you need to go back to the brewery where Madeline used to work, The Waning Moon. This brewery is located in Reithwin Town.
You can reach this from its waypoint or by moving southwest of your last location. The Moonrise Towers are an essential landmark here as they are very close north to the tavern’s location.
Once you reach The Waning Moon, you must find the master running this place. It will be a large man who goes by the name Thisobald Thorm in Baldur’s Gate 3. Go to the bottom of the tavern to converse with him. This encounter will result in two ways.
One is having to fight and kill him by passing Skill checks. The other way is to pass Saving Throws so you can pretend to overdrink with him. Wait until he is so full that he bursts, but remember that these Charisma Checks are high-difficulty class.
No matter which way you choose to go, you will end up getting rid of Thisobald Thorm. Then, you can return to your original objective of finding Madeline’s Ledger. Look behind the counter to the left; a floorboard is out of place. Perform a Perception Check on it; if successful, the coveted ledger will be revealed behind it.
Give the Ledger to He Who Was
Once you have Madeline’s ledger in BG3 Punish the Wicked, you can read it to learn about her crime. Or you can also take it back to He Who Was. Choose the second option, and He Who Was will know that you have the ledger on you even before you give it to him.
Hand him over the ledger to learn what happened with Madeline. It will be revealed that Madeline told the Dark Justiciar about her friends. She had no idea what would be done to them. The Dark Justiciar tricked her by telling her she would talk to her but did not. Instead, she made the two bar attendees turn against each other and kill each other.
All this while Madeline’s spirit will use He Who Was’s body as her vessel. This is due to her being dead already. Now that you know the whole story and her crime, it will be up to you to judge. He will decide how she should be punished.
All Correct Answers in Punish the Wicked
Now you will find three choices on Baldur’s Gate 3 Punish the Wicked, all with DC10 Persuasion checks.
- The first option is to ask her to stab herself by choosing “Anything? Then hurt yourself as Ben and Marc did – stab yourself” dialogue option, which will result in Madeline stabbing He Who Was’s body as it was the vessel for her. If unsuccessful, it will make He Who Was hostile.
- The second option is to not believe Madeline by choosing the “Pathetic – you murdered your friends. You’re a coward” dialogue option. This will end up in Madeline being in the hands of He Who Was. Her punishment will be left up to him, but He Who Was will become hostile if this Persuasion Check is unsuccessful.
- The third and last option will be to believe Madeline by choosing the “There’s nothing you need do. This wasn’t your fault – I promise” dialogue option, which, if successful, ends up in Madeline being forgiven. However, if it is unsuccessful, you must fight He Who Was.
Using someone with high proficiency is better to make these DC10 Persuasion Checks successful in Baldur’s Gate 3. One such example is Warlock Wyll, who has high Charisma.
If you choose the first option, it will end up in He Who Was Dying and Madeline being free from the punishment of a crime she did not commit. This way, the quest will finish, providing you with 29 Gold.
However, you must choose the second option to save He Who Was and earn a reward. This will satisfy He Who Was, and he will reward you with Raven Gloves. Remember that with this option, you risk him being hostile if the check is unsuccessful.
